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Fabulous Book Finds

I just had to share what I found at my favorite used book store, Wonder Book!

I already have a copy of this reprint of the Sears & Robuck 1900s catalog, but I had cut it up as a teenager to use for crafts... What was I thinking?! I've always felt guilty about it ever since. This book is totally out of print, so when I saw it on the shelf (and we had a coupon for everything buy one get one free!), I felt I needed to get it to ease my guilt over the years. Now I'll actually have a complete copy to study. Whew!

I've been wanting a copy of the Boston Cooking School Cookbook, and I was thrilled to find a 1922 edition. There is even a little goody tucked inside as a bookmark of an envelope with a stamp and the postal mark from 1943! Score!

The last book is on a topic I have been wondering about - how did the government get Americans to "do their bit" for the war effort and to reliquish so much control to the government? I guess it's understandable for the British, but the Americans? (I've always contemplated if the same measures during the World Wars would go down so well today. Something tells me NO. haha!) This book "Uncle Sam Wants YOU" addresses this topic and I am so excited to read about it. Yippee!

P.S. Take a look at the button on the side for the Sew For Victory! Sew Along. The deadline is April 1st, but what a super fun thing! It's totally up my alley. I think it's the perfect opportunity to make that 1940s apron I've been putting off...

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It's here!!! The Wartime Rationing Menu Challenge has finally arrived!
Are you as thrilled as I am? I've been working steadily on this project for two months - trying out test recipes, choosing menus for the next six months, typing everything up, formatting and getting it ready to share. It's been a lot of work, but I'm so excited to share these recipes with you all. It's been hard not to get cooking already!
So, are you ready?

First up, I want to put in a disclaimer. I'm starting this ration menu challenge, and I'm going to follow it the best I can, but I'm just like you - busy with life and all the little moments of chaos that come up when they're the least expected. This isn't a hardcore challenge. Remember that it's for fun, for learning about a cool era of historical cooking in America, and to get yourself into your kitchen trying out some new recipes! If you find some fabulous new favorites, even better.

Grapefruit
Cooked Cereal
Fluffy Omelet
Whole Wheat Toast
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I kept it mostly the same with only a few changes due to what we had on hand:
Orange slices
Cooked 10-grain cereal
Fluffy Omelet
Bread w/ a bit of butter
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Yum! It was a nice breakfast, especially since it wasn't just cold cereal. To make the fluffy omelet, I didn't follow a recipe. I just added some milk to the scrambled eggs which makes it fluffy as it slowly cooks. And I sprinkled a bit of cheese on top.

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I stuck to this menu, and used a recipe for the soup from one of my wartime cookbooks. It used a mixture of milk and evaporated milk. I used up some light …

If ever there was a myth about history it would be this: Things were dirt cheap back then.

Were they really?
And this is where I rub my hands together and cackle with geeky glee. Just like we shouldn't judge our ancestors solely based on current standards and social norms, we shouldn't judge prices of yesteryear by today's dollar value.

I'll give you some examples.

(And don't worry. I'm not going to get super technical or get all crazy on the math, because Math is not my strongest subject. I'll fully admit I got my math-savvy husband to help me remember the equations I learned from my college economics class.)

I was looking in one of my Health-for-Victory meal planning guide from 1943. They stated that if you followed their meal plan, you could expect to spend between $14 - $16 a week on groceries. You're probably thinking, WOW! I'd love to pay $14/week for groceries! But what's the value of 1943's $14 in our current year of 2015?